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Convulsões focais

Last reviewed: 9 Apr 2025
Last updated: 17 Jul 2024

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • presença de fatores de risco
  • movimento de um lado do corpo ou uma parte específica do corpo
  • sensação ou experiência premonitória (medo, sensação epigástrica, déjà vu, jamais vu)
  • automatismos (puxar roupas, estalar os lábios)
  • afasia temporária
  • olhar fixo e não ter consciência dos arredores
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • deficit neurológico focal pós-ictal (paralisia de Todd, afasia)
  • deficit neurológico focal persistente
  • dificuldades de memória
  • estigmas de síndromes neurocutâneas
Full details

Risk factors

  • convulsão febril
  • lesão cerebral traumática
  • infecção do sistema nervoso central (SNC)
  • acidente vascular cerebral (AVC)
  • tumor cerebral
  • deficiência intelectual e/ou paralisia cerebral
  • demência
  • história familiar de convulsões
  • malformações vasculares intracranianas
  • malformações do desenvolvimento cortical (MDC)
  • sexo masculino
Full details

Diagnostic tests

1st tests to order

  • glicemia
  • Hemograma completo
  • painel de eletrólitos
  • análise toxicológica
  • punção lombar e análise do líquido cefalorraquidiano
  • tomografia computadorizada (TC) do crânio
  • ressonância nuclear magnética (RNM) cranioencefálica
  • eletroencefalograma (EEG)
Full details

Tests to consider

  • monitoramento de longa duração por vídeo/eletroencefalograma (EEG)
  • tomografia por emissão de pósitrons (PET)
  • tomografia computadorizada por emissão de fóton único (SPECT)
  • RNM funcional
  • exame de magnetoencefalografia (MEG)
  • exame neuropsicológico
  • teste de Wada
Full details

Emerging tests

  • RNM de 7T

Treatment algorithm

ACUTE

convulsões agudas repetitivas: na comunidade

convulsões agudas repetitivas: no hospital

ONGOING

adultos <60 anos de idade

adultos ≥60 anos de idade

mulheres em idade fértil

gestantes

crianças

Contributors

Authors

Ramses Ribot, MD

Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology

Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Division

University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine

Miami

FL

Disclosures

RR declares that he has no competing interests.

Andres M. Kanner, MD, FANA, FAES, FAAN

Professor of Clinical Neurology

Director, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and Head, Section of Epilepsy

Department of Neurology

University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine

Miami

FL

Disclosures

AMK has received honoraria from Eisai Laboratories for lectures given at international scientific meetings, and from the Epilepsy Foundation of America for being Co-Editor in Chief of Epilepsy.com. AMK is an author of a number of references cited in this topic.

Acknowledgements

Dr Ramses Ribot and Dr Andres M. Kanner would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Vikram R. Rao, Dr John D. Hixson, and Dr Jeffrey Cohen, previous contributors to this topic.

Disclosures

VRR served as a paid consultant for Neuropace, Inc., manufacturer of the Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) System. JDH has received research funding and consultancy funds from UCB, Inc. JC declares that he has no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Edward Bromfield, MD

Chief

Epilepsy Division

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Associate Professor of Neurology

Harvard Medical School

Boston

MA

Disclosures

At the time of review, EB declared that between 2004 and 2009, he received speaking honoraria from UCB Pharma, Novartis, Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pfizer. He received consulting fees from UCB Pharma, Genzyme, and Spherics, and research funding from UCB Pharma. Unfortunately, we have since been made aware that EB is deceased.

Angus A. Wilfong, MD

Associate Professor

Pediatrics and Neurology

Baylor College of Medicine

Medical Director

Comprehensive Epilepsy Program

Texas Children's Hospital

Houston

TX

Disclosures

AAW declares that he has no competing interests.

Cigdem I. Akman, MD

Assistant Professor

Division of Pediatric Neurology

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

New York

NY

Disclosures

Not disclosed.

Pasquale Striano, MD, PhD

Consultant Neurologist

Muscular and Neurodegenerative Diseases Unit

"G Gaslini" Institute

Genova

Epilepsy Centre

Federico II University

Napoli

Italy

Disclosures

PS declares that he has no competing interests.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

Fisher RS, Cross JH, French JA, et al. Operational classification of seizure types by the International League Against Epilepsy: position paper of the ILAE Commission for Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia. 2017 Apr;58(4):522-30.Full text  Abstract

Scheffer IE, Berkovic S, Capovilla G, et al. ILAE classification of the epilepsies: position paper of the ILAE Commission for Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia. 2017 Apr;58(4):512-21.Full text  Abstract

Leone MA, Giussani G, Nevitt SJ, et al. Immediate antiepileptic drug treatment, versus placebo, deferred, or no treatment for first unprovoked seizure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 May 4;(5):CD007144.Full text  Abstract

Kanner AM, Ashman E, Gloss D, et al. Practice guideline update summary: efficacy and tolerability of the new antiepileptic drugs I: treatment of new-onset epilepsy. Report of the American Epilepsy Society and the Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Epilepsy Curr. 2018 Jul-Aug;18(4):260-8.Full text  Abstract

Kanner AM, Ashman E, Gloss D, et al. Practice guideline update summary: efficacy and tolerability of the new antiepileptic drugs II: treatment-resistant epilepsy. Report of the American Epilepsy Society and the Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Epilepsy Curr. 2018 Jul-Aug;18(4):269-78.Full text  Abstract

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Epilepsy in pregnancy (Green-top Guideline No.68). Jun 2016 (updated May 2018) [internet publication].Full text

Nevitt SJ, Sudell M, Weston J, et al. Antiepileptic drug monotherapy for epilepsy: a network meta-analysis of individual participant data. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Dec 15;(12):CD011412.Full text  Abstract

Boon P, De Cock E, Mertens A, et al. Neurostimulation for drug-resistant epilepsy: a systematic review of clinical evidence for efficacy, safety, contraindications and predictors for response. Curr Opin Neurol. 2018 Apr;31(2):198-210. Abstract

Reference articles

A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.
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